CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY ISOLATING POWERED UNITS IN A RAIL VEHICLE SYSTEM

• US 20110060486A1
• Filed: 09/09/2009
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: BRAND, JOHN, GOODERMUTH, TODD, NOFFSINGER, JOSEPH FORREST, LACY, PATRICIA, MEDEMA, TIMOTHY, FOY, ROBERT, COOPER, JARED KLINEMAN, MCKAY, DAVID, MCNALLY, CHRISTOPHER, MELTSER, MIKHAIL, ELDREDGE, DAVID ALLEN, SMITH, KRISTOPHER
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 17/12 Control gear; Arrangements for controlling locomotives from remote points in the train or when operating in multiple units control from points outside the train B61L3/00; fluid-actuated telemotors, servomotors F15B; control devices in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0036 Conductor-based, e.g. using CAN-Bus, train-line or optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation

Abstract

A control system for a rail vehicle system including a lead powered unit and a remote powered unit is provided. The system includes a user interface, a master isolation module and a slave controller. The user interface is disposed in the lead powered unit and is configured to receive an isolation command to turn on or off the remote powered unit. The master isolation module is configured to receive the isolation command from the user interface and to communicate an instruction based on the isolation command. The slave controller is configured to receive the instruction from the master isolation module. The slave controller causes the remote powered unit to supply tractive force to propel the rail vehicle system when the instruction directs the slave controller to turn on the remote powered unit. The slave controller causes the remote powered unit to withhold the tractive force when the instruction directs the slave controller to turn off the remote powered unit.

Claims

1. A control system for a rail vehicle system that includes a lead powered unit and a remote powered unit, the system comprising:

a user interface disposed in the lead powered unit and configured to receive an isolation command to turn on or off the remote powered unit;

a master isolation module configured to receive the isolation command from the user interface and to communicate an instruction based on the isolation command; and

a slave controller configured to receive the instruction from the master isolation module, wherein the slave controller causes the remote powered unit to supply tractive force to propel the rail vehicle system when the instruction directs the slave controller to turn on the remote powered unit and the slave controller causes the remote powered unit to withhold the tractive force when the instruction directs the slave controller to turn off the remote powered unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the rail vehicle system includes a plurality of the remote powered units organized into groups, further wherein the master isolation module communicates the instruction to the remote powered units in a selected group when the isolation command directs the remote powered units in the selected group to be turned on or off.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the rail vehicle system includes a plurality of the remote powered units and a plurality of the slave controllers, each of the remote powered units including at least one of the slave controllers, wherein the master isolation module is configured to communicate the instruction to individual ones of the remote powered units to individually direct the corresponding slave controllers to cause the individual ones of the remote powered units to supply or withhold the tractive force.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the master isolation module is configured to communicate the instruction and the slave controller is configured to direct the remote powered unit to supply or withhold the tractive force while the remote powered unit is moving.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instruction directs the slave controller to cause the remote powered unit to supply or withhold the tractive force within a predetermined time period after the instruction is received at the slave controller.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the master isolation module comprises a memory and a microprocessor, the memory for storing a tractive effort required to propel the rail vehicle system during a predetermined trip, the microprocessor generating and communicating an automated instruction to the slave controller to turn the remote powered unit on or off based on the tractive effort.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the memory stores the trip as trip segments having different tractive efforts for sections of the trip, further wherein the microprocessor adaptively generates and communicates automated instructions to the slave controller to turn the remote powered unit on or off based on the different tractive efforts.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the rail vehicle system includes a plurality of the remote powered units and a plurality of the slave controllers, each of the remote powered units including at least one of the slave controllers, wherein the microprocessor adaptively generates and communicates automated instructions to the slave controllers to vary which of the remote powered units are turned on and which of the remote powered units are turned off during the different trip segments.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the tractive effort is based on at least one of a weight of the rail vehicle system, a distance of the trip, a distance of a segment of the trip, a performance capability of the remote powered unit, a curvature of track along the trip, a grade of the trip, and/or a transit time between waypoints along the trip.

10. A method for controlling a rail vehicle system that includes a lead powered unit and a remote powered unit, the method comprising:

at the lead powered unit, receiving an isolation command to turn on or off the remote powered unit;

communicating an instruction based on the isolation command to a slave controller in the remote powered unit; and

causing the remote powered unit to supply tractive force to propel the rail vehicle system when the instruction directs the slave controller to turn on the remote powered unit and to withhold the tractive force when the instruction directs the slave controller to turn off the remote powered unit.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the rail vehicle system includes a plurality of the remote powered units organized into groups, further wherein the communicating operation includes conveying the instruction to the remote powered units in a selected group when the isolation command directs the remote powered units in the selected group to be turned on or off.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the rail vehicle system includes a plurality of the remote powered units each having a slave controller, and the communicating operation comprises conveying the instruction to individual ones of the remote powered units to individually direct the corresponding slave controllers to cause the individual ones of the remote powered units to supply or withhold the tractive force.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein based on the instruction, the slave controller causes the remote powered unit to supply or withhold the tractive force while the remote powered unit is moving.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the slave controller causes the remote powered unit to supply or withhold the tractive force within a predetermined time period after the instruction is received at the slave controller.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising calculating an amount of fuel burned by one or more of the remote powered units and generating an automated instruction to the slave controller to turn the remote powered units on or off based on the amount of fuel burned.

16. A computer readable storage medium for a control system of a rail vehicle system having a lead powered unit and a remote powered unit, the lead powered unit including a microprocessor, the remote powered unit including a slave isolation module and a slave controller, the computer readable storage medium comprising:

instructions to direct the microprocessor to;

receive an isolation command to turn on or off the remote powered unit; and

communicate an instruction based on the isolation command, wherein the slave controller is configured to receive the instruction to cause the remote powered unit to supply tractive force to propel the rail vehicle system when the instruction directs the slave controller to turn on the remote powered unit and to withhold the tractive force when the instruction directs the slave controller to turn off the remote powered unit.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the rail vehicle system includes a plurality of the remote powered units organized into groups, further wherein the instructions direct the microprocessor to communicate the instruction to the remote powered units in a selected group when the isolation command directs the remote powered units in the selected group to be turned on or off.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the lead powered unit comprises a memory, further wherein:

the instructions direct the memory to store a tractive effort required to propel the rail vehicle system along a track during a predetermined trip; and

the instructions direct the microprocessor to generate and communicate an automated instruction to the slave controller to turn the remote powered unit on or off based on the tractive effort.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein:

the instructions direct the memory to store the trip as trip segments having different tractive efforts for sections of the trip; and

the instructions direct the microprocessor to adaptively generate and communicate automated instructions to the slave controller to turn the remote powered unit on or off based on the different tractive efforts.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the rail vehicle system includes a plurality of the remote powered units each including a slave controller and the instructions direct the microprocessor to adaptively generate and communicate automated instructions to the slave controllers to vary which of the remote powered units are turned on and which of the remote powered units are turned off during the different trip segments.

21. A method for controlling a train having a lead locomotive and a remote locomotive, the method comprising:

communicating an instruction from the lead locomotive to the remote locomotive, wherein the instruction relates to an operational state of the remote locomotive; and

at the remote locomotive, controlling an engine of the remote locomotive, based on the instruction, into one of an on operational state and an off operational state, wherein during at least a portion of a time period when the engine is in the off operational state the engine does not consume fuel.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein during the time period, the engine is periodically controlled to alternate being not consuming fuel and consuming fuel for purposes of maintaining a designated temperature of the engine.